Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A550

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A550, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and A550 (14MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 II was manufactured 6 years after the A550 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-M1 II matches up against the A550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 II offers physical measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") with a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A550 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-M1 II versus the A550.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and A550 is 68 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizes merely by viewing a spec sheet. The pic below will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 II and A550.

As you can see, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 II due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh harder and the Olympus E-M1 II will render greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The younger E-M1 II should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.